400 litre illicit liquor, 1.16L kg lahan seized in Amritsar village

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 27

In yet another haul, a huge quantity of illicit liquor was recovered during a late night operation in Chak Mishri Khan village near the border.

As many as 10 illegal working stills were busted by the police in the village during the three-hour raid held under the supervision of Amritsar rural SSP Dhruv Dahiya. This is the fifth such seizure in this month.

The police confiscated 400-litre illicit liquor along with 1.16 lakh-kg lahan and illegal stills. The police also recovered 16 tarpaulins, a water tank of 1,000-litre capacity, 20 drums, seven gas cylinders and a car which was used in supplying illicit liquor in the rural belt of Amritsar and Tarn Taran.

Those arrested during the raid included Balwinder Singh, Karnail Singh, Shamsher Singh and Sukhdev Singh, all residents of Chak Mishri Khan while the police registered eight cases under the Excise Act following the seizure. Balwinder Singh is the son of the sarpanch of the village and reportedly belongs to the ruling party.

Gurpartap Singh Sahota, DSP, Attari, said the police were looking into the assets and properties of the bootleggers to further nail them.

The fact that this is the fifth such operation in this month that has led to huge recoveries of illicit liquor highlights the fact that the rot runs deeper. Despite the continuous raids under Operation Red Rose to nail bootleggers, the unscrupulous elements involved in the illegal trade are working fearlessly. SSP Dhruv Dahiya said till now, the rural police had confiscated 5.25 lakh-kg lahan and 1,891-litre illicit liquor.